


Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word

by angelskuuipo



Category: Leverage
Genre: Challenge Response, Early Work, Episode s01e13: The Second David Job, GFY, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-13
Updated: 2014-06-13
Packaged: 2018-02-04 11:59:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1778248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelskuuipo/pseuds/angelskuuipo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He wanted to hear the words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "76. Leverage - Eliot/Sophie - the apology Sophie _doesn't_ stumble over, the one _without_ Hardison and Parker jumping in to add their two cents."
> 
> Written for the Little Black Dress from Oklahoma ficathon. I hope this works. I couldn’t do the sex thing. Thanks be to Elisabeth for the beta.
> 
> Originally posted 4-29-09.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He wanted to hear the words.

He wanted to hear the words and he wanted a real explanation, not some bullshit, rehearsed speech like she’d given the others. He also wanted to know why he was last.

So that’s why Eliot was standing in front of Sophie’s door at one-thirty in the morning. He knocked and listened as she moved around. The look of surprise on her face was almost insulting when she opened the door.

“Eliot? Is there something wrong?” She asked as she tightened the sash of her satin robe.

His jaw clenched, but he was determined to play it cool. He was still madder than hell, but was going to stay calm if it killed him. “Yeah, there is.”

She moved back and motioned for him to come in. He swept the room out of habit and noticed that after only two days in Hardison’s safe house, she’d already put her mark on her chosen space. Sophie closed the door and moved to sit on the love seat near the window. Eliot stayed standing.

“What’s the problem, Eliot? Should we get Nate?”

He shook his head. “No. This is between you and me.” He looked her straight in the eye and said, “I want to hear the words.”

She looked at him in confusion for a moment before her expression cleared and she rolled her eyes. “Oh, honestly, Eliot. I thought we were past that. I don’t have anything to apologize for. The job went badly there at the end, yes, but that wasn’t my fault.”

Eliot’s mouth worked, but he didn’t make a sound. He wrapped his hand around the bedpost so tight that his knuckles turned white and he heard the wood groan at the strain. He took a couple of deep breaths, and finally said, “You’re a real piece of work, you know that? Not your fault? If you had been honest with us we would have been better prepared and it might not have gone down like it did. But no, you wanted to run your own little game and you used us to do it. I could even understand it if you’d done it when we first started, but not after we’d been doing this for almost a year. I had a crazy notion we could trust that none of us would try to con each other. I’ve bled for all of you since we started this, but that was the first time I bled _because_ of one of you. Out of everyone, don’t you think I deserve to hear ‘I’m sorry’ from you?”

Sophie was pale under her tan, but she came off the sofa with purpose. “Trust, Eliot? You don’t trust any of us and you’ve made no secret of that. We’re thieves. There’s no such thing as trust when it comes to people like us.”

Eliot shook his head. “I might not tell you what I do with the money we make, that’s just common sense, but I trusted y’all to have my back on a job. You’re the only one that’s let me down on that score. You can justify it all you want, but you did us wrong, Sophie.”

He could see the wheels turning as she tried to find some angle to play that would get her out of it, but he was right and he knew that deep down she knew it too. When her shoulders slumped and she looked away, he knew she’d realized it.

“I’m sorry, Eliot,” she said softly.

He studied her for a long moment then nodded. “Apology accepted. Goodnight, Sophie.” He turned to leave and was almost to the door when she spoke again.

“That’s it?”

He looked at her over his shoulder then turned around. He said casually, “I told you I wanted to hear the words. You said ‘em. Although, I am curious why I was the last one to hear your little speech earlier.”

She flushed and looked away again. Then she straightened her shoulders and looked at him. “Quite frankly, Eliot, you scare me. There’s so much about you that I don’t know, and the little that I do…well, you’re a violent man. I wasn’t sure how you would react.”

Eliot felt like he’d been punched in the gut. He took a deep breath and moved slowly back towards her. She looked tense, but stayed where she was. When he was about a foot away he stopped. “Have I ever given you reason to believe that I would raise a hand against you, Sophie?”

Her stubborn look faltered and her hands came up in a helpless gesture before dropping to her sides again. She sighed. “No. You’ve always been quite the gentleman, even when Parker drives you crazy.” She brought her hands up to scrub over her face then ran them through her hair, her eyes darting around, but refusing to meet his. She looked a little lost and Eliot had a feeling that he was finally seeing the real Sophie Devereaux. She finally looked at him and said, “I think I waited to speak to you last, because I did know that you deserved a proper apology, and I didn’t know how to give it to you. I’m sorry I didn’t give you and the others all of the details beforehand. I’m sorry I was selfish. And I am so very sorry that you were hurt, Eliot. I really am.”

“I believe you,” he said simply.

“So, are we good?” She asked hopefully.

“Not yet,” her face fell, “but we’ll get there.” She didn’t look happy, but that was the best he could do. He leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek. “Goodnight, Sophie.”

Eliot felt her eyes on him as he strode to the door and almost didn’t hear her whispered, “Goodnight, Eliot.”

He’d been honest with her. They weren’t back to good, but they were on their way. It was enough for him to feel comfortable doing this job with her. After it was over, well, he’d just have to wait and see.

-30-


End file.
